What Is Coaching? (And Is Coaching Right for Me?)
Coaching has become mainstream—and for good reason. It helps people grow, heal, and move forward. Still, for something so common, it’s surprisingly easy to feel confused about what coaching really is—and whether it’s for you.
Maybe you’ve heard the term a hundred times. Maybe you’re curious, or even considering working with a coach yourself—but you’re not totally sure what coaching involves, how it’s different from therapy, or whether it’s the right kind of support for you.
That’s what this post is here to explore. I’ll walk you through what coaching really is, what it isn’t, what makes it powerful, and how to know if you’re ready for it. I’ll also share a bit about my personal approach, so you can get a feel for whether it resonates with you.
Let’s begin.
Coaching is not therapy
There’s overlap between coaching and therapy, but they’re not the same. Both offer a supportive space for reflection and growth, but they serve different purposes—and they meet you in different places on your path. Therapy often looks to the past, helping you process, heal, and understand what’s shaped you. Coaching is more forward-looking. It meets you in the present and supports your growth into what’s next. It’s not about diagnosis or fixing—it’s about building inner capacity and creating meaningful change.
Therapy is deeply important, and coaching doesn’t replace it.
Coaching is not advice from your friends
Your friends mean well. They listen, they relate, and they might even offer some helpful tips. But most of the time, their advice is filtered through their own experiences. That’s not a bad thing—but it’s different from coaching.
A coach isn’t here to give you advice or tell you what to do. Instead, coaching creates space for you to hear yourself. A coach asks thoughtful questions, offers reflection, and helps you access your own truth—something that’s hard to do when you're in the middle of the noise.
Coaching is like training
Think of coaching like training for your inner life. Just like you might hire a personal trainer to build physical strength, a coach helps you build emotional resilience, self-awareness, and clarity.
Coaching supports you in developing the skills to respond rather than react, to make intentional choices, and to live in alignment with your values. It’s not about perfection—it’s about practice. Coaching helps you grow your capacity to move through life with more ease, confidence, and trust in yourself.
How do I know if I’m ready for coaching?
You don’t have to have it all figured out to start. You might be feeling stuck in old patterns you can’t quite name, or sensing that something in your life needs to shift—even if you’re not sure what or how. Maybe you’re craving clarity, momentum, or simply a space to hear yourself think. If you’re feeling called to grow, to reconnect with yourself, or to live with more intention, that’s a sign you’re ready. Coaching meets you exactly where you are—and supports you in moving forward from there.
My approach: gentle, grounded, and rooted in self-understanding
My coaching style is gentle, grounded, and rooted in self-understanding. I believe that true change doesn’t come from pushing or performing—it comes from softening. From seeing yourself clearly and meeting your patterns with compassion, not judgment. When you understand why you respond the way you do, it becomes so much easier to choose differently.
That’s where real growth begins.
Ready to explore coaching?
If you’re feeling the pull toward clarity, growth, or a deeper connection with yourself, I’d love to support you. Coaching is a space to pause, reflect, and move forward with intention. You don’t have to do it alone.
Visit my coaching page to learn more or book a free intro session—we can talk about what’s coming up for you and whether coaching feels like the right next step.
xo.
Jessica
